Engineer s air-brake valve



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. T. WILSON. ENGINEERS AIR BRAKE VALVE. No. 461,725. Pate'fnted 0013.20, 1891.

(No Mode'l.) f 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J..T. WILSON.

ENGINEBRS AIR BRAKE VALVE. 110.461,'725. Patented Oct. 20, 1891.

STATES UNrrn .ATENT Price.'

ENGINEERS AIR-BRAKE VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,725, dated October 20, 1891.

Application filed May 20, 1891. Serial 110.393,449. (No model.)

' citizen of the United States, residing in the city and lcounty of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement lin Engineers Air-Brake Valves; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to the general class of air-brakes; and it consists of the construction and combination of devices which I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

A general and brief description of the usual construction and operation of the de- -vices now in use will give a better understanding of my improvements, which Will be hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

The engineers brake and equalizing discharge-valve of the ordinary type consists of a valve shell or body connected with the brake-pipe and also with the main reservoir. It has within it a rotary valve provided with suitable ports, and said valve is operated by means of a handle. The valve body or shell contains other parts and devices, which are unnecessary herein to describe, as theyv are the usual ones in these appliances that my invention relates to and are well understood. There are several positions of the handle which have received distinctive names indicative of the operations to be performed. The first position is termed the position for releasing the brake. The next is the position while running. The next is the position on lap. The next is the position for the application of the brake to the general train-service. The linal position is known as the emergency stop, and is only used, as the name implies, when it is desired to obtain the most forcible application of the brakes. These positions succeed one another, vand are reached successively by the movement of the handle in the same direction.

Brakes are not only applied to the wheels of the cars and tender of the train, but are also applied to the driving-wheels of the locomotive. The former brakes are known as the train service, While the latter are known as the drive-wheel, brakes. There are tWo Ways in which they are arranged with relation to each other. One is to unite them,

Iand in vthis form of connecting the brakes, whenever applied tothe wheels of the train cars and tender, are also applied to the drivving-Wheels of the locomotive. This uniting of the brakes is found in practice to possess many disadvantages and is seldom used. One disadvantage is that the brakes must be very delicately handled to avoid a too forci- 6o ble application of them to the driving-wheels, which would result in a sudden checking of the momentum, producing a shock. Another is the wear and tear on the tires of the driving-Wheels, which is very great, es-y pecially on long grades, Where the brakes have to be constantly applied for great distances. These disadvantages have resulted,` therefore, in the adoptionlof another form of application-namely,the separateapplication 7o of the train-service brakes and the drivingwheel brakes. This separate application requires a separate lever orl handle for the operation of the driving-wheel brakes, and the disadvantage of this method is that the engineer is required to perform two distinct operations-namely, the operation of the handle of the train-service brakes and a separate operation of another handle to apply the brakes' to the driving-Wheels. This double operation 8o is a severe strain upon the engineers mind and is not likely to be performed under the very circumstances which are intended to call for its performance-namely, an emergency.

The object of my present improvementis to provide means by which the disadvantages of bot-h the methods heretofore described are avoided, said means insuring the best results by the operation of a single handle having movements and stops precisely the same as 9o are at present employed, applying the brakes for the train-service only at the ordinary brake-service stop and applying the brakes fully for the train-service, and also the brakes for the driving-wheels of the locomotive at 9'5 the emergency stop. Therefore by my improvements the brakes do not have to be sov carefully manipulated, nor is there any Wear and tear upon the driving-wheels, as their brakes are only applied in vcases of emerroo gency, and, finally, there are no separate operations to be performed by the engineer; but, on the contrary, the present andv usual opera# tion of a single handle is all that is required.

Referring to theaccompanying drawings fora more complete explanation of my invention, Figure l is a vertical section of my improved valve. Fig. 2 is a plan of the valveseat. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rotary valve and its seat, the foi-mer being shown raised to exhibit its under side. Fig. 4 is a plan showing the arrangement for the direct application. Fig. 5 is a section of the valve-shell E and valve F.

A is the valve shell or body as now in use, having within it the usual and ordinary parts, of which the rotary valve B and itsimmediate connections only need description. This valve-body is connected, as usual, at a to the brake-pipe of the train-service and at a to the main reservoir. The valve is operated by means of the key b and the handle b', which is provided with the usual spring b2, controlling its movement, said handle playing about the flange of the top cap of the valve-body in the usual manner and having the usual stops. In the seat a2 are made the usual ports" namely, the supply-port a3, the exhaust-port a4, and the direct-application port In the rotary valve are made the usual ports, consisting of the supply-port b3 and the exhaustcavity b4. The operation of these ports is well known and needs no particular description. In those cases in which both the driving-wheel brakes and the train-service brakes are united the connection of both brakepipes is formed with the end of the valvebody at a, and both brakes are always operated together.

My first improvement relates to that form of brake application known as automatic It consists in connecting by a pipe C the brakepipe represented by D, which operates the driving-wheel brakes, with the supply-port of the engineers valve and controlling this connection by asuitable port in the rotary valve. This pipe C extends into the supply-port a3, as shown. In the valve is made a port c and in the valve-seat are made ports c and c2. The port c connects with supply-port a3 and the port c2 connects with the exhaust-port a4. One end of port c in the valve is adapted to connect with port c in the seat and the other end with port c2. Thus the pipe C is controlled by the rotary valve. The position of the ports c, c', and c2 is such that when the handle is turned to the brake-service stop the pipe C of the driving-wheel-brake connection will be closed, thereby preventing the application of said brakes, while permitting the ordinary application ofthe train-service brakes; but when the handle is pushed around to the brake emergency stop the port c is brought into connection with ports c and c2, and through them with the supply-port a3 and exhaust-port a in the valve-seat and with the pipe C of the driving-wheel-brake connection, so as to open said connection and permit the application of the driving-wheel brakes simultaneously with the fullapplication of the train-service brakes. It will be seen, therefore, that the movement of the handle is the same as usual, taking the same positions and involving no other operation than is customary in this class of devices. Therefore .the train-service brakes may be applied, ordinarily, without applying thev driving-wheel brakes, the latter being only applied in an emergency when the train-service brakes are fully applied. This connection, as heretofore stated, is to be used in connection with the automatic application of the brakes; but- Where it is desired to apply the air direct to the driving-wheel brakes I have, in connection with the parts heretofore described and operating as stated, the following construction to accomplish the object. (See Figs. 4 and 5.)

E is a valve-shell having within it a doubleended valve F, one end f of which is of greater area than the other end f. In the shell between these two heads of the valve is let the connection G, with the driving-wheelbrake pipe D, and g is the exhaust-port from said shell, which is controlled by the larger end or head of the valve when seated. This shell is located at any suitable point intermediate of the mainreservoir connection and the pipe C, heretofore described. I have here shown it connected with the end of the pipe C, the larger end or head of the valve being exposed to this connection, and I have shown its other end connected by a suitable pipe I-I with the main-reservoirconnection a of the valve body or shell A. New in ordinary operation when the handle is over at all the points except the emergency stop the pressure upon the greater end or head of the valve F will be suiiicient to keep said valve to its vseat against the pressure upon its smaller end, and thus the driviiig wheel-brake pipe will be closed; but when the handle is moved over to the emergency stop, and the pipe C and port c being thereby opened, as heretofore described, and the pressure on the larger end of the valve being thereby relieved, the pressure on its small end will cause the valve F to move, whereby direct communication is established between the main reservoir and the driving-wheel brake supply-pipe, and the air passes directly through the end of the shell E and through the connection G into said pipe. The interposition of this valve F dispenses entirely with the complicated triple valve to driving-wheel brakes which is now in use.

Having thus described my invention, WhatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In air-brakes, the improved engneers brake-valve consisting of the body or shell connected with the main reservoir and with the brake-pipe of the train service and having the supply, exhaust, and direct-application ports, the rotary valve having the supply-port and exhaust-cavity for controlling the train-service-pipe connection, the separate port c in the valve and the ports mc and IOO IIO

c2 in thevalVe-seat connecting with the snpply and exhaust ports, and the pipe connecting the driVe-Wheei-brztke pipe with the snpply-port of the shell or body, substantially as herein described.

2. In air-brakes, the engineers brake-valve having the rotary valve with ports controlling the connection with the trein-servicebrake pipe and a. separate port controlling the connection with the drive-Wheel-brake pipe, in combination with the Valve-shell E, let into the drive-Wheel-brake connection and connected with the main reservoir, and the valve in said shell or body having ends of different areas for passing the air direct to I5 lthe drive-Wheel-bmke pipe, substantially as herein described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN TYLER VILSON.

Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, J. A. BAYLEss. 

